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Uber fined nearly 11 million by Dutch privacy watchdog

By Nithya Bose in Business News, posted February 1, 2024

Dutch privacy authorities have fined Uber €10 million ($10.9 million) for breaching European data protection laws.

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) accused Uber of not informing its European drivers how long their data was kept.

The company is also accused of complicating the process for drivers to ask for their personal data.

AP's Chairman, Aleid Wolfsen, said: “Drivers have the right to know how Uber handles their personal data.

"However, Uber did not explain this with sufficient clarity.

“It should have informed its drivers better and more diligently in this regard.”

The AP highlighted obstacles Uber placed in the way of drivers seeking to access their data.

It included hiding the data request function deep within its app and providing data in a format that was difficult to understand.

Uber was found to have omitted crucial information in its terms and conditions.

Those are the retention period of driver data and the security measures for data transferred outside the European Economic Area.

A company spokesman said: “The Dutch Data Protection Authority has acknowledged that Uber fixed the small number of ‘low impact’ issues raised by the drivers, while dismissing the vast majority of their claims as unfounded.

“We are committed to continuously improving our data-request processes and will always cooperate constructively with the authorities to address their concerns.”

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law enforces strict privacy standards and can impose hefty fines on violators.

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Data protection authorities in each EU member state oversee compliance, with the European Commission intensifying its supervision to expedite enforcement actions.

The complaint against Uber originated from over 170 French drivers.

It was filed by the French human rights organization Ligue des droits de l’homme et du citoyen in 2020.

Since Uber's European headquarters are in the Netherlands, the Dutch AP took up the case.

This penalty adds to a list of Uber's legal challenges related to privacy and cybersecurity.

It includes a significant 2016 data breach that led to a $148 million settlement in the US and controversies over its data practices in municipal scooter-rental programs.

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